Trump says 7 to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

FILE - In this May 13, 2008 file photo, Sheldon Adelson, CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., left, sits with his wife Dr. Miriam Adelson before a session at the President's Conference in Jerusalem. President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include Miriam Adelson, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Alan Page, who began a legal career after leaving the NFL. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill, File) (TARA TODRAS-WHITEHILL)

November 10, 2018 at 8:54 AM CST - Updated November 16 at 11:53 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include the wife of a major Republican Party donor, the longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history, Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth.

Trump will also posthumously recognize the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Medals are going to Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Alan Page, who began a legal career after leaving the NFL.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest honor for a civilian.

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2018 photo, Alan Page, NFL Hall of Famer and retired Minnesota Supreme Court justice, stands in Minneapolis, by a photo of black babies labeled "Alligator Bait." It is among the artifacts of slavery and segregation collected by Page and his wife, Diane Sims Page. President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include Page, Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) (AP)

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2018 file photo, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah gestures as he speaks during the UTGOP election night party in Salt Lake City. President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include Hatch, Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Alan Page, who began a legal career after leaving the NFL. (Ravell Call/The Deseret News via AP) /The Deseret News via AP) (AP)

FILE - In this Oct. 27, 2014, file photo, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach looks on from the sidelines before the start of the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, in Arlington, Texas. President Donald Trump has announced his first recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and they include, Staubach, Miriam Adelson, a doctor and wife of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican donor; Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is retiring after more than 41 years in the U.S. Senate; and Alan Page, who began a legal career after leaving the NFL. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade, File) (AP)